My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

"Does the Grand Marshal mean that he suspects Sima Yi will use a treacherous scheme to cause the Crown Prince to be defeated and killed by Zhang Lu?"

Upon hearing Xiao He's words, Zhao Yun instantly became alert.

Xiao He's gaze was as deep as an abyss. He tilted his head slightly and sighed deeply.

"Looking across the world, those who can rival Sima Yi in strategy are few and far between, even within our great Han Dynasty."

"If Kongming were here, or Shiyuan, or Xiaozhi, perhaps the Crown Prince could be guaranteed to win, or at least be in an unassailable position."

"But as things stand, Xiaozhi is unfortunately ill and unable to join the army. Kongming is stationed in Yecheng, managing the affairs of the court, and is too busy to attend to everything. Shiyuan is also in the northern border assisting Wenyuan in defending against the Xianbei invasion. None of them are in our army."

"In this way, none of the strategists the Crown Prince brought with him are a match for Sima Yi in terms of strategy and insight."

After hearing this, Zhao Yun seemed to be deep in thought. A heavy shadow gradually fell over his resolute face, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

After a while.

Zhao Yun still had unresolved questions, so he asked again:
"Ke Yun is somewhat confused. Since the Grand Marshal is worried that the Crown Prince will be defeated by Sima Yi, he should logically send troops to support him. Why then is he redeploying troops to reinforce the Tongguan line?"

"I really can't fathom the deeper meaning behind Grand Marshal's words."

Xiao He gently turned his horse around and slowly returned to camp, patiently explaining as he went:
"The Crown Prince is leading an army of 100,000 men on this expedition, which is a great force, while Zhang Lu can only mobilize 30,000 to 50,000 men at most."

"Even if the Crown Prince suffers setbacks on the battlefield and is defeated, at most he will be blocked by the Hanzhong army in Xiegu and unable to advance further. His life will not be in danger."

"What I'm really worried about is that Sima Yi is a cunning old man who will definitely offer a plan to Zhang Lu. It is very likely that Zhang Lu will use a detachment to draw the Crown Prince's main force at Xiegu, while secretly sending a surprise force through Ziwu Valley into Guanzhong."

"Once this surprise force successfully enters the Guanzhong Plain, it can launch a surprise attack on Tongguan when our army is completely unprepared."

"If that's really the case, Zilong, think about what the consequences will be?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun's expression changed drastically, as if struck by lightning. He broke out in a cold sweat, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

He quickly reined in his horse and shouted orders to his trusted guards following behind him:

"Quick, get the map!"

The guards dared not delay in the slightest and quickly took out the map and unfolded it.

Tongguan, Hanzhong, Xiegu, Ziwugu... these place names came into Zhao Yun's view one by one.

Zhao Yun's eyes scanned the map rapidly, muttering to himself:
"A surprise attack on the Ziwu Valley! A surprise attack on the Ziwu Valley..."

Finally, Zhao Yun's gaze fell on the shortest valley to the pass—the Ziwu Valley.

This valley is located east of Hanzhong, and it is not only the closest to Guanzhong, but its northern entrance is also only a hundred li away from Tongguan.

If Zhang Luzhen were to send a surprise force through this valley and successfully enter the Guanzhong Plain, given his marching speed, he could reach Tongguan within two days.

Furthermore, because Cao Cao retreated to Chang'an, hundreds of thousands of Han troops entered the Guanzhong Plain, and all the counties east of Chang'an were now under the control of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the main force of the Han army was concentrated along the Chang'an line.

The garrison at Tongguan currently numbers less than three thousand men.

With such a small force, if this Hanzhong army were to launch a surprise attack on Tongguan, it might very well be able to break through the pass in one fell swoop.

Once Tongguan is breached, this surprise force can split up and head north, reaching Puban within two days and capturing it in one fell swoop.

With the loss of both Tongguan and Puban, the Han army's supply lines to Guandong would be cut off overnight.

At that time, without food supplies, wouldn't the 350,000 Han troops on the Guanzhong Plain collapse instantly and rout without a fight? That's 350,000 Han troops!

This is no small number. If they were to perish in Guanzhong, it would not be just a simple matter of this failed campaign against Wei. The Han Dynasty would also suffer a severe blow and face annihilation.

At that time, it was not impossible for Cao Cao not only to recover lost territory, but also to take advantage of the situation to march out of the pass and seize the Central Plains.

Having figured all this out, Zhao Yun's face turned ashen, and a layer of cold sweat soaked his back, as if he had just come out of an ice cellar.

He looked up, gasped, and said in a slightly trembling voice:

"If Sima Yi had truly used this plan, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Fortunately, the Grand Marshal had considered the matter thoroughly and guessed that Sima Yi might use this plan, otherwise..."

Zhao Yun was terrified and dared not say any more, the terrifying consequences constantly flashing through his mind.

After the initial shock, Zhao Yun suddenly remembered something, and doubts welled up in his mind again. He asked urgently:
"There is one more thing that I don't quite understand. Since the Grand Marshal knew that Sima Yi might use this plan, why didn't he send troops to directly block the Ziwu Valley, but instead went to reinforce Tongguan and even transferred troops from Guandong? I hope the Grand Marshal can enlighten me on the mystery behind this."

Xiao He smiled without saying a word, his eyes holding a hidden meaning, as if concealing endless mysteries.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yun's mind raced, constantly considering various possibilities.

Suddenly, he realized what was happening, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes:
"I understand. The Grand Marshal doesn't want to alert the enemy; he wants to use a counter-strategy!"

"If Zhang Lu does indeed send troops to launch a surprise attack on Ziwu Valley, then our army has already secretly transferred elite troops from Guandong to reinforce Tongguan. We can then wait in comfort and catch Zhang Lu off guard, causing his surprise attack plan to completely fail and instead fall into our encirclement."

Xiao He smiled slightly, his eyes full of approval, and said with emotion:

"Zilong understands me best; indeed, Zilong grasps things immediately."

Zhao Yun breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing, and he chuckled to himself:

"I am ashamed. It was only after the Grand Marshal reminded me to such an extent that I came to this understanding. I am truly ashamed. Compared with the Grand Marshal's profound wisdom, I am still far behind."

Xiao He smiled again, lightly flicking his riding whip:

"Alright, let's prepare for both possibilities and immediately submit a memorial to the Emperor, reporting our plans and concerns to him so that he is also aware of the situation."

That very night, a memorial was dispatched from Chang'an, galloping at full speed straight to Ye City.

……

Five days later, at the Yecheng Imperial Palace.

Xiao He's memorial finally fell into Liu Bei's hands.

Liu Bei sat on the dragon throne, intently reading the memorials, but the more he read, the more gloomy his face became, as if shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds.

Gradually, a hint of anger and disappointment began to appear in his eyes.

Upon reaching the end, Liu Bei couldn't help but slam his hand on the table.

"Before I left, I repeatedly instructed him to be sure to listen to Bowen's advice."

"He had only reaped a little credit, yet he dared to be arrogant and self-willed, refusing to listen to Bowen's advice."

"Wouldn't that ruin everything?"

"Foolish, foolish!" (End of Chapter)